The exemplary embodiment relates to document processing. It finds particular application in connection with a system and method for preparing batches of hardcopy documents for scanning, which facilitates separation of the documents, once scanned.
Mailrooms of large organizations, such as corporations, government entities, and the like, receive large quantities of mail which has to be opened and the documents removed and then scanned before further processing. Document preparation is one of the most labor-intensive and therefore expensive steps in most digital mailrooms. To improve throughput, documents may be scanned in batches. Typically, as mail is opened, a preparation operator inserts a slip sheet between each hardcopy document, or each group of documents from the same envelope or folder, prior to scanning, so that scanning can be performed efficiently in large batches. Later in the workflow, these slip sheets are automatically detected and the documents separated. The slip sheets may be printed with barcodes. The cost of printing the slip sheets, and the time involved in inserting them in the document stack, adds considerably to the cost of document processing.
The exemplary embodiment provides a system and method for document processing which avoids the need for slip sheets.